In judging of the welfare of the slaves, it is necessary to distinguish the different conditions of slavery. The most important
distinction, both as regards numbers and its influence on the wellbeing of the slave, is that between houseservants and farm or fieldhands. The houseservant is comparatively well off. He is frequently born and bred in the family he belongs to. The position of the fieldhands is very different; of those, especially, who labour on large plantations. Here there are none of those humanizing influences at work which temper the rigour of the system, nor is there the same check of public opinion to control abuse. The 'force' is worked as a great human mechanism; as a drove of human cattle. --James Stirling, 1857 What is the MAIN idea of the author's description of life on a southern plantation? A) It was better to be a fieldhand than a houseservant. B) It was better to be a houseservant than a fieldhand. C) Houseservants were able to vote in some southern states. D) All overseers punished slaves harshly when they were uncooperative.
Europeans colonized the Americas to enhance their power and influence over world affairs, as well as ease their hunger for gold, silver, and other precious metals. Sometime during the 11th century was the first of many European colonization endeavors.
